What the skAInet Edge-Compute is designed, built, and run with. We prefer
open tools and open formats wherever they exist — so that what runs on your
Edge-Compute is inspectable, and what you build on it is portable.
Hardware design & manufacturing
| Tool / partner | Used for |
|---|
| 🧩 | KiCad | All schematic and PCB designs — carrier board, PoE switch board, and every measurement device |
| 📐 | build123d | Parametric CAD for the anodized aluminum enclosure, written as Python code |
| 🏭 | HLH Prototypes | Manufacturing partner for the machined and anodized enclosures |
| 🔌 | GH Electronics | Certified M12 PoE cable assemblies (Cat-5e, M12 X-/D-coded) |
| 🟢 | NextPCB | PCB fabrication and assembly (PCBA) |
On the Edge-Compute
| Tool | Used for |
|---|
| 🐧 | Yocto Project | The Linux distribution — a reproducible image with a documented SBOM, aligned with the EU Cyber Resilience Act |
| 🔐 | NetBird | Secure, WireGuard-based remote access for maintenance and support (optional) |
| 🚏 | Redis | Data transport on the device — measurement streams flow through Redis between mappers, aggregators, and APIs |
| 🐳 | Docker | Deployment unit for on-edge analytics; your analysis ships as a container |
| ⚡ | Crow | High-performance C++ web framework for the device's REST and WebSocket APIs |
| 🅰️ | Angular | Frontends served directly from the Edge-Compute |
External integrations (optional)
The Edge-Compute works standalone. When connected to upstream infrastructure,
it integrates with:
| Tool | Used for |
|---|
| 🗄️ | Ceph | Permanent data storage — aggregated data is written to an external Ceph cluster |
| ☸️ | Kubernetes | High-performance analytics that exceed the device's own compute budget |
| 🧠 | Ollama | Local large-language-model inference for data insights — on your infrastructure, not a cloud |
Protocols & fieldbus
| Protocol | Used for |
|---|
| 🔬 | EPICS | Integration into experimental-physics control systems (e.g. the PANDA luminosity detector at GSI/FAIR) |
| 🏗️ | Modbus TCP | Integration into plant networks, PLCs, and SCADA systems |
For the full list of upstream API options — REST, WebSocket, Webhooks, MQTT,
OPC UA, gRPC, and more — see the platform overview.
Why this stack
- Reproducible: Yocto builds the same image every time, and the SBOM
lists every package in it.
- Portable: Your code runs in Docker containers against a Redis stream —
it does not care which compute module is inside the enclosure.
- Open: KiCad, build123d, Yocto, Redis, Docker, Crow, Angular, Ceph,
Kubernetes, Ollama, EPICS, and Modbus are all open source or open
standards.
- Serviceable: With NetBird enabled, Auto-Intern can support and update
your device remotely — and you can switch it off at any time.